Moa by Tricia Stewart Shiu
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Disclaimer: I received a review copy of Moa from Novel Publicity as part of the blog tour. All opinions about the book are mine.

Moa is an interesting book that really captured my attention both from a reader’s perspective as well as a spiritual perspective. Hillary’s journey to spend time with her sister and niece would have made a great story on it’s own in light of what happened to Hillary in school as well to Steve, her brother in law, but adding in Moa’s story just really made this a unique story.

While I know and appreciate that this book was about a fictional, spiritual journey to right the wrongs on the island of Hawaii to the Ancients, I do think that since the topic of Hillary being bullied in school – which was touched upon several times – and by the town should have been explored more as well.

Moa is a fun, captivating spirit guide. I really enjoyed getting to know her and her background story. I also adored Heidi and even Hillary as well. Molly was the perfect opposite of all three of them – needing to see with her own eyes instead of believing in blind faith.

The narration, which switches between first and third person a lot, was a bit difficult to understand at first, but once I got into the story it was easy to follow along.

I know I have been SEVERELY lacking with these, but real life tends to sneak up on me when I am least expecting it. To make it up to you, I sincerely hope you will enjoy this wide variety of FREE books that I have found for you!

Book #1 is:

How to Organize Small Spaces: Decluttering Tips and Organization Ideas for Your Home  by Heather Lane

From Amazon: How to Organize Small Spaces by Heather Lane is a practical step-by-step guide that focuses from room to room to help you to develop efficient methods to declutter your home and keep it clean without feeling overwhelmed, even in small spaces.

If you would like to organize your home and life without feeling completely overwhelmed with where to start, this book is for you.

Every page in this book is right to the point to help you take action and make a difference you and your family and friends can immediately see.

Don’t let a smaller area make you feel cramped.

You can make a difference today.

The book is available for download FREE by clicking the link below:

How to Organize Small Spaces: Decluttering Tips and Organization Ideas for Your Home

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Book #2 is:

Maid for Love (The McCarthys of Gansett Island, Book 1) by Marie Force

From Amazon: That rat bastard Michael Wallace is back.

The last person Olivia Parker expects to walk into her lingerie shop is her high school sweetheart. She’s so over him. Mostly. Except that he’s hotter than ever and still knows her better than she knows herself. But how can she risk her heart when she knows he’s just going to leave again?

It’s a simple plan: return home, shoot the movie, and leave emancipated from the contract he signed eleven years before. But Michael’s plan gets blown away the moment he sees Olivia again. Smart, sexy, and successful, Olivia is distraction personified. Only worse than that—Michael fears Olivia may be his heart and soul…

The book is available for download FREE by clicking the link below:

Maid for Love (The McCarthys of Gansett Island, Book 1)

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Book #3 is:

Still Life With Murder (Gilded Age Mystery #1)by P.B. Ryan

From Amazon: Young Irish immigrant Nell Sweeney is governess for the adopted daughter of wealthy Bostonians Viola and August Hewitt. Nell has become a favorite confidant of Viola. The pair had four grown sons, the eldest two thought to have died in Andersonville during the Civil War. A visit from a family friend changes all that with news that sets in motion a chain of events that has the potential to restore this torn family or to destroy it forever. The news that August receives is that his eldest son Will is still very much alive, though he might not be for long–Will Hewitt sits in jail accused of having slashed a man’s throat during an opium rage. Nell and Viola set out to prove Will’s innocence and catch the true criminal.

The book is available for download FREE by clicking the link below:

Still Life With Murder (Nell Sweeney Mystery Series, Book 1)

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Book #4 is:

Dane (Erotic Romance) Book 1 (The Mackenzie Brothers Quartet)by Liliana Hart

From Amazon: In this novella, bad boy, Dane MacKenzie, is coming home to Surrender, Montana. It’s been ten years since he left the woman he loved behind to make a name for himself, and now he’s bound and determined to claim her once and for all.

But Charlotte Munroe has no desire to welcome home the Prodigal Son with a fatted calf. The bitterness of Dane’s betrayal runs deep, and she has no plans of letting him back into her life. Especially since she’s trying to protect the son Dane isn’t aware exists from heartbreak, since she’s sure he’s only going to walk out of their lives again.

The book is available for download FREE by clicking the link below:

Dane (Erotic Romance) Book 1 (The Mackenzie Brothers Quartet)

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{The above links to the books on Amazon do contain my Affiliate link. If you choose to purchase any of these books after the free price expires, through my link, I make a very small commission that goes towards the purchase of more books for review. You are under no obligation at any time to click on one of my Affiliate links.}

Please enjoy this guest post by Tricia Stewart Shiu, author of the paranormal YA novel with a literary bent Moa. Then read on to learn how you can win huge prizes as part of this blog tour, including $6000 in Amazon gift cards, a Kindle Fire, 5 autographed copies of Moa, and 5 autographed copies of its sequel, Statue of Ku.

I’ve always loved Hawaii and was thrilled when my husband booked a visit for us to see his relatives in Honolulu, Hawaii in October of 2006. We packed light and brought our daughter, who was three-years-old at the time.

Our condo was close to parks and monuments that oozed history. We enjoyed wandering around and indulging in the local cuisine. I even tried poi and liked it!

The morning after we arrived, I rose early to push my daughter’s stroller through the quiet, cool morning air. It felt like such a gift to experience Honolulu before the rest of the island was up.

After a hearty island breakfast, we headed out for a morning at our favorite sandy reprieve, Kuhio Beach. The water was calm and protected by a breakwater. Our daughter enjoyed digging and splashing and my husband and I sat sit nearby without worrying about the strong current.

Afterward, we headed back to our condominium, ate a light lunch, and took a luxurious siesta. Although I’m not usually a mid-day napper, the fresh sea air and sun lulled me into a light sleep—the kind where I felt like I was awake, but I was actually deeply asleep.

I heard a voice say my name and a part of me awoke. I use the word “part” because I could definitely feel my body touching the soft material on the couch. And yet, another part was keenly aware of a young woman with dark hair standing over me. It felt real, but dream-like, so I decided to go with it and ask her her name.

She pronounced a long Hawaiian string of letters, which seemed to go on for minutes. After repeating the name three or four times, she told me to call her “Moa.” Through my exhausted, sleepy haze, I remember being skeptical. If this was, indeed, a dream, I would ask as many questions as possible. So I did.

Why was she here? Where did she come from? How could I be sure she was who she claimed to be?

Instead of any answers, she flashed a mental picture of a woman and said that she was a long lost friend of my husband’s. She told me her name and explained that my husband’s family and she had lost touch 15 years before and had been orbiting around one another trying to reconnect.

I awoke from that nap, slightly groggy. That was an indication that I was definitely asleep. Perhaps it was just my creativity kicking into overdrive, I reasoned, and decided to go on with my day. We walked to a park with my daughter and began playing. Suddenly, there was a squeal and my husband and I turned to see the woman from my dream charging toward us with her arms stretched out wide. As she spoke, I tried to gather my wits. Here was the same woman from my dream, someone I’d only seen a mental picture of, and she was standing on the grass right in front of me.

She and my husband exchanged numbers and promised to keep in touch. For the next few hours, I tried to make sense of what happened. I had never had an experience like this before, but there was no denying that I saw a picture in a dream before I met someone and then they showed up in real life.

When I went to sleep that evening, Moa visited again. She answered the other questions I’d asked earlier that afternoon and wanted me to know that I was protected and should share my experience with the world. Since this was definitely my first metaphysical encounter, I had no idea how to form the correct words to share what had happened. How on earth, I asked Moa, am I supposed to convey such undocumented, unsubstantiated, unusual information?

She said that our world exists on many levels which all play simultaneously. Her analogy was of a DVR. Several shows can be playing at the same time but are on different tuners. That, she said, is where she existed.

When I awoke, I began writing and continued to do so. The story evolved into “Moa,” then the sequel, “Statue of Ku.” My daughter, now seven, took the cover photo and illustrated, as well. The photo was taken a few years ago on the North Shore as we played on the beach. The artwork has been compiled over the last two years.

Since my visit with Moa, I began an extensive and sometimes circuitous search to explain my metaphysical experience. I took classes on mediumship, Huna, energy work and through my education, I learned to create healing essential oils and elixir sprays and incorporated that information in the book. Not only did my experience with Moa inspire me and guide me through four-and-a-half of the most challenging years of my life, I also believe that writing about those events and including information I received about that inspiration and guidance, brought my own deep physical, mental, emotional and spiritual transformation and healing. Writing, editing and publishing Moa has opened doors to a new way of understanding myself, those around me and the energy we share.

Whatever your belief or understanding of the metaphysical world, I believe that if one person is transformed through learning, then we are all transformed. I truly believe the Moa I met came through in this work and, just as I connected with her as I wrote, those who read the book will experience her as well.

As part of this special promotional extravaganza sponsored by Novel Publicity, the price of the Moa and Statue of Ku eBook editions have both been dropped to just 99 cents this week. What’s more, by purchasing either of these fantastic books at an incredibly low price, you can enter to win many awesome prizes. The prizes include $600 in Amazon gift cards, a Kindle Fire, and 5 autographed copies of each book.

All the info you need to win one of these amazing prizes is RIGHT HERE. Remember, winning is as easy as clicking a button or leaving a blog comment–easy to enter; easy to win!

To win the prizes:

1. Purchase your copies of Moa and Statue of Ku for just 99 cents
2. Enter the Rafflecopter contest on Novel Publicity
3. Visit today’s featured social media event

About Moa: Eighteen-year-old, Hillary, anticipates adventure as she embarks for trip to Honolulu, but gets more than she bargained for when Moa, an ancient Hawaiian spirit, pays her an unexpected visit. Get it on Amazon.

About Statue of Ku: The second book in the Moa Book Series, “The Statue of Ku” follows Hillary and Moa as they jet to Egypt on the Prince’s private plane to reclaim Moa’s family heirloom, the inimitable statue of Ku. Get it on Amazon.

About the author: Tricia Stewart Shiu combines her addiction to the written word with her avid interest in the healing arts and all things metaphysical in her novels Moa and Statue of Ku and looks forward to finding new ways to unite her two loves. Visit Tricia on her website, Twitter, Facebook, or GoodReads.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

As part of this special promotional extravaganza sponsored by Novel Publicity, the price of the Moa and Statue of Ku eBook editions have both been dropped to just 99 cents this week. What’s more, by purchasing either of these fantastic books at an incredibly low price, you can enter to win many awesome prizes. The prizes include $600 in Amazon gift cards, a Kindle Fire, and 5 autographed copies of each book.

All the info you need to win one of these amazing prizes is RIGHT HERE. Remember, winning is as easy as clicking a button or leaving a blog comment–easy to enter; easy to win!

To win the prizes:

1. Purchase your copies of Moa and Statue of Ku for just 99 cents
2. Enter the Rafflecopter contest on Novel Publicity
3. Visit today’s featured social media event

About Moa: Eighteen-year-old, Hillary, anticipates adventure as she embarks for trip to Honolulu, but gets more than she bargained for when Moa, an ancient Hawaiian spirit, pays her an unexpected visit. Get it on Amazon.

About Statue of Ku: The second book in the Moa Book Series, “The Statue of Ku” follows Hillary and Moa as they jet to Egypt on the Prince’s private plane to reclaim Moa’s family heirloom, the inimitable statue of Ku. Get it on Amazon.

About the author: Tricia Stewart Shiu combines her addiction to the written word with her avid interest in the healing arts and all things metaphysical in her novels Moa and Statue of Ku and looks forward to finding new ways to unite her two loves. Visit Tricia on her website, Twitter, Facebook, or GoodReads.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Please enjoy this excerpt from Moa, a paranormal YA novel with a literary bent by Tricia Stewart Shiu. Then read on to learn how you can win huge prizes as part of this blog tour, including $6000 in Amazon gift cards, a Kindle Fire, 5 autographed copies of Moa, and 5 autographed copies of its sequel, Statue of Ku.

Eighteen-year-old, Hillary Hause’s left thumb searches frantically to turn on the “I’m Okay to Fly” hypnotherapy recording. Her nerves on edge, fuchsia fingernails press into the blue pleather armrests of her airplane seat.

“No spells can help you now,” she whispers to herself under her breath—then checks to see if anyone notices. Nope, they don’t.

The plane lifts through the early morning, gray fog of California, “June Gloom” giving way to the azure sky, and Hillary covers her curly brown head and retreats beneath the questionably clean plane blanket cranking the volume to drown out the drone of the engines.

“Outer shell close to breaking.” This time she doesn’t care if anyone hears.

I hover just beyond her “outer shell”—a movement in the periphery, a faintly familiar scent, a fond memory just beyond recognition, a non-human observer. Before the week is up, Hillary will save my life, as I will hers. But, for now, more about Hillary.

The drink cart rolls past the blanket, which has, by now become a moist steamy cave.

“Hey, freak. I hope your plane crashes.” The memory reverberates through her brain despite her attempts to distract herself with the hypnotherapy recording. She increases the volume, but the ugly conversation, which occurred just before school ended, still haunts her mind.

“I guess the only people they check on those flights are the suspicious ones,” Krystal Sykes, a bully from her home room, leans in as Hillary hastens to grab books for her next class. Krystal, also a senior, has hounded Hillary since the first day of freshman year and this is the final day during the final hour at this tiny high school of 376 students —where everyone knows everyone else’s business.

“Look, Krystal.” Hillary turns her eyes toward the sneering blonde. “It’s the last day of school, we’ll never see each other again. Can you give it a rest?” These are the most words the two young women have exchanged in the entire four years of high school.

A look of shock replaces Krystal’s smug snick, “Oh, so now you talk.” She leans in, so close that her spray tan becomes a patchy Impressionist painting. Her pores are blotched with cakey, two shades too dark powder, her unblended cream eyeshadow creases across the center of her lid and her tropical breeze flavored breath threatens to strangle the words right out of Hillary.

“I know all about your witchcraft practices and have made a few spells of my own. Trust me. You’ll never make it to your sister’s house in Hawaii.” Krystal’s backpack jingles and Hillary watches her spin around and skip down the hall.

Hillary is not a witch. She has, however, carefully crafted a “shell” to protect herself from bullies like Krystal—who, as far as Hillary can tell—is not a witch either. She has watched Krystal throughout elementary, middle and high school and has not been able to discern whether or not she practices witchcraft. No matter what Krystal’s background, her intent is to harm. And there is nothing worse than a spell with an aim to hurt. Hillary has had no choice but to remain in a constant state of defensiveness.

The twenty-minute recording ends and Hillary falls into a troubled sleep—feeling every bump and hearing every creak of the plane.

With about an hour left in the flight, Hillary awakens with a “turtle headache.” Hillary’s older sister Molly taught her this term which means a headache caused by sleeping too long underneath the covers of one’s bed.

Sadly, Molly lost her husband, Steve, last year in an unfortunate surfing accident. The throbbing pain in Hillary’s left temple could be the result of remaining submerged beneath an airplane blanket and wedged between the window and armrest, or it could be from worry about how Molly and her niece, Heidi are dealing with their devastating loss.

Disoriented, Hillary pokes her head out just in time to glimpse puffy clouds and sparkling sea below. A flood of excitement and sheer wonder flows through Hillary in the form of a tingle from her head to her toes. And then, a lovely thought: “…And for an Everlasting Roof, The Gambrels of the Sky…” She will enjoy this plane ride, thanks in part to Emily Dickinson.

As part of this special promotional extravaganza sponsored by Novel Publicity, the price of the Moa and Statue of Ku eBook editions have both been dropped to just 99 cents this week. What’s more, by purchasing either of these fantastic books at an incredibly low price, you can enter to win many awesome prizes. The prizes include $600 in Amazon gift cards, a Kindle Fire, and 5 autographed copies of each book.

All the info you need to win one of these amazing prizes is RIGHT HERE. Remember, winning is as easy as clicking a button or leaving a blog comment–easy to enter; easy to win!

To win the prizes:

1. Purchase your copies of Moa and Statue of Ku for just 99 cents
2. Enter the Rafflecopter contest on Novel Publicity
3. Visit today’s featured social media event

About Moa: Eighteen-year-old, Hillary, anticipates adventure as she embarks for trip to Honolulu, but gets more than she bargained for when Moa, an ancient Hawaiian spirit, pays her an unexpected visit. Get it on Amazon.

About Statue of Ku: The second book in the Moa Book Series, “The Statue of Ku” follows Hillary and Moa as they jet to Egypt on the Prince’s private plane to reclaim Moa’s family heirloom, the inimitable statue of Ku. Get it on Amazon.

About the author: Tricia Stewart Shiu combines her addiction to the written word with her avid interest in the healing arts and all things metaphysical in her novels Moa and Statue of Ku and looks forward to finding new ways to unite her two loves. Visit Tricia on her website, Twitter, Facebook, or GoodReads.

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A Demon Made Me Do It by Penelope King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received a complimentary copy of A Demon Made Me Do It in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own and have not been influenced by an outside source.

Even though this book is totally out of my comfort zone, it appealed to me anyway. I am so glad that I read it as it truly was a very intriguing book whose sequel I am anxiously awaiting to read.

I loved the how nearly every other chapter was from either Lucky or Liora’s point of view. Some chapters was both of them. I loved their dynamic, even if they pretty much hated each other. I loved Bones. I loved Kiernon…but if I had to choose a team to be on, it’d be Team Kiernon all the way.

Sorry, Bones!

I loved how parts that could have been written in such vivid gory detail weren’t, which made me happy that I’d decided to step outside of my comfort zone again and again.

I just plain loved everything about this book. I can’t wait to read the sequel. I want to know more about everyone!

I guess if I had to come up with a negative, it would be that I didn’t totally understand what happened to Liora//Lucky. But really? That’s not a negative…if anything I hope more detail is given to their back story!

Sound Bites: A Rock & Roll Love Story by Rachel K. Burke
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When I saw this book in an email from AToMR Tours I knew I HAD to read this book and participate in the blog tour. I didn’t even need to read the blurb to know that this would be a book that I’d love.

I have to admit that Dylan is the third male character I’ve ever fallen “in love” with. While he acts like a complete douche most of the time, you know that there’s more to him then attitude. Same with Renee. I love how instead of falling apart at finding her best friend and boyfriend in bed together, she just moved on with her life. There was no real moping around or sitting around for months upon months weeping that her best friend had betrayed her.

Most of all, I loved the dynamic between Dylan and Renee from the moment they met. You just know that they belong together, no matter how cranky they get with each other.

I don’t want to say much more and ruin the book for anyone else, but I will say that the music mentions in it made my heart squee a bit. Especially Muse. Who doesn’t love Muse these days?!

DELETED SCENE:

The man is speaking in Spanish and I’m able to pick out most of what he’s saying. Under my breath, I translate for Bob. “He wants the pilot to land in Cuba. He says if anyone tries to stop him, he will kill him or her. He says we all need to be quiet and stop crying.” There are a lot of expletives thrown in there for good measure, but Bob doesn’t need me to translate “low, down, dirty, scum-sucking American pigs” or “disgusting cockroaches.”
Much to Bob’s dismay, I sneak a peek at our captor. The man is swarthy and well built, with muscles bulging under his shirt. He’s obviously Latino, dressed in expensive clothes with a flashy gold chain around his neck. If I had to guess, the guy is in his mid-forties and plenty pissed off. I glance around for the crew. At least one flight attendant is in the front of the cabin, hands behind her back, mouth gagged. Another is in the same situation in the back. Darn. This man’s creative. He took businessmen’s ties and bound their hands and ankles. I decide his name is Hugo.
The jet banks to the left, hard, then levels out. I wish I knew if this terrorist was working alone. He’s pacing up and down the aisle, the scent of sweat and stale air following him. Every now and then, he stops to lecture a passenger for whimpering, poking them with the muzzle of his gun. I wonder if the Air Force has scrambled fighter jets. I wonder if the plane is already inside Cuban air space. I wonder what the pilot is thinking. The cabin is quiet, aside from the occasional sob. Without making my lips move, I ask Bob where Hugo went. My seatmate gives me an imperceptible look and tightens his grip on the armrests.
We are descending over a large land mass. I’m starting to panic and wondering what will happen when we land. Will someone tell us to swim back to Florida? Cuban prison isn’t a much better option. Fidel Castro hates Americans. He probably adores firing squads. I shiver and look at Hugo. He seems exhausted from barking orders. He’s gripping one arm. His face is twisted. Then, he begins to sweat.
I realize that Hugo could be having a heart attack. Or something like it. He clutches at his chest. There’s a spasm under his ribcage and he leans to one side, clutching at the closest seat back. Hugo slumps a little, but fights gravity, struggling to remain standing. Does anyone else see this? Shouldn’t someone call for a doctor? I guess the gun in Hugo’s hand might prevent a random act of altruism.
I nudge Bob, still frozen in his chair. He shoots me a worried glance. “We should do something,” I urge. After a slight pause and a look that translates into “You are insane,” Bob shakes his head.
Hugo’s skin has taken on a sickly, milk chocolate color. His eyes are glazed over. He’s gripping at the neck of his shirt. Ever so slowly, I unbuckle my seatbelt.

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Blurb: Travel writer Julia Sullivan lives life in fast-forward. She jet sets to Europe and the Caribbean with barely a moment to blink or sleep. But too many mishaps and missed deadlines have Julia on the verge of being fired.

Julia arrives, soon charmed by the lovely city and her handsome host, but her stay is marred by a shocking discovery. Can Julia’s story save her career, Eufaula, and the annual Pilgrimage?

Review: Dancing Naked in Dixie by Lauren Clark
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After seeing the cover alone, I knew I had to read this book. I’m so glad I did and signed up for the blog tour!

Julia has just returned to NYC after a fabulous trip from yet another sunny beach when she’s called into the new boss’s office. David has returned and has canceled her recent article on Belize, citing that her work was rather weak and needed to be refined. He’s sending her to Eufaula, Alabama to cover the Pilgrimage. While in Eufaula, Julia’s eyes are opened as to what’s really important in life.

I laughed through most of this book, just couldn’t help myself. As a “Yankee” whose been down south recently, even I know when someone says “bless your heart” they’re pretty much thinking you’re a moron, but are much too refined to tell you so. It made me miss being down there, where it’s like a whole other country!

While this book is predictable in some aspects, not everything is a give away. Ms. Clark knows how to bait you, then hooks you, then reels you in page after page {did I really just make a fishing analogy?} until you reach the end and are wondering what happens and if there’s going to be a sequel. I hope there’s a sequel. Or two. Defintely could see this turning into a series!

Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Links to purchase the book:

http://www.amazon.com/Dancing-Naked-in-Dixie-ebook/dp/B0082205JY/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1339815242&sr=1-1&keywords=dancing+naked+in+dixie

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dancing-naked-in-dixie-lauren-clark/1110735980?ean=9780984725045

Blogs: http://www.laurenclarkbooks.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/laurenclark_bks
@LaurenClark_BKS

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13550676-dancing-naked-in-dixie

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     A time travel romance novel that encompasses both Victorian England and Arthurian lore?! Who wouldn’t be interested?! Unfortunately after starting the book Forgotten Time by Lorraine Beaumont, I wasn’t. This book was just too hard to get into with the unconvincing dialogue and convoluted plot. The author broke the gross barrier a couple of times so I read it like a child sneaking a look past corners in case monsters were there. There was a lot of cookies being tossed and more passing out from binge drinking from all parties involved than an episode of Jersey Shore. There was also awkward transition between the main character, Katherine’s, first person perspective and the other character’s third person dialogue. Needless to say, conversations were a little hard to follow.

The mystery of the curse that Katherine was supposed to solve got lost in all the needless information we ended up learning about the side characters. I feel there was potential here in the way things were woven together, it just wasn’t executed effectively. Suspense at times got derailed because we were shifted back and forth too much between character’s perspectives, like the local sexy Victorian baddy, Devlin. I get that he’s a play boy, and he’s hot, but he also did some messed up stuff that he shouldn’t be forgiven for in my opinion so let’s not linger too much on him. At one point I thought he was going to replace the main love interest, Sebastian, and when my feelings were just “meh” about that, I realized this book was not going to be on my re-read list. I actually had a really hard time finishing it.

So readers, my final judgment on Forgotten Time is that it is not a book for me. I definitely saw potential in it though and the author started hitting her stride toward the end, so maybe the future books in the Ravenhurst Series will be better.

Best of luck to Lorraine Beaumont and fight the good fight!

Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

What Happiness Looks Like by Karen Lenfestey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received a review copy of What Happiness Looks Like in exchange for my honest review.

I haven’t read Ms. Lefenestey’s first book, A Sister’s Promise, so I went into this without knowing anything about the characters. I wasn’t overly fond of any of the characters except for maybe the precocious Anna Jo. Joely irritated me a lot because she couldn’t seem to make up her mind about anything!

Kate just really…made me wanna kick her in the butt. I know that what she was feeling was normal and that all of her reactions to things were normal, but I disliked how she seemed so abysmal most of the time. I’m so glad that a few of the paths I thought this book was taking turned out to be wrong, though.

I loved how realistic the ending was. Not too happily ever after, not depressing…just right. This is a book that you want to curl up with in a chair on a rainy day and just read until it’s over. I know it seems crazy that I really liked this book – but dislike two of the main characters for a good portion of it – but it truly was enjoyable. And thankfully Joely and Kate redeem themselves well before the book is over.

View all my reviews

No matter how hard I try to get ahead, it seems I get a little further behind. This past month has been a bit trying on my patience. I’m quite behind on all of my reading. So as of this moment all inquiries for read and reviews are suspended until I am able to catch up completely.

I dislike letting ANYONE down, especially an author or their representative who has entrusted me with a copy of their book in exchange for my review. I take my responsibilities as a book reviewer very seriously, so please don’t think that I’m flaking on you – nothing could be further from the truth. If I owe you a review and you’re wondering where it is, please don’t hesitate to shoot me off an email at WhisperinAngel@Gmail.Com with your book title as the subject – I’ll reply as quickly as possible, but please give me at least 48 hours before contacting me again. My family and I are in the midst of packing up our home to move and so my time is limited all around.

Please welcome Jenna to the ranks! She just joined us here at Once Upon A Book as a staff reviewer and I slipped on welcoming her – Sorry, Jenna!

Also, we will be holding another follower contest soon as well as a few more giveaways and book tours. So please stay with us!

Thank you so much for your patience and understanding!

Angieleigh

Reflection by Jessica Roberts
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow, just WOW. Did I really just read that?!

Reflection is one of those books that grips you from just about the beginning and doesn’t let go. I read the first chapter for the follow-up novel, Reaction, and felt like my heart shattered when there was no more to read.

Yeah, it was THAT good.

It took me a bit to understand what was going on, especially with the narration swap. There were times when I’d try to guess at what would happen next, but it was pretty pointless – my guessing that is. The story followed it’s own timeline

Heather is a feisty character, full of spunk and determination. She’s vulnerable, almost to a fault, and can drive a person insane at times. Nick is just…he’s one of very few male characters I’ve ever fervently wished to be real. He reminds me of a cowboy, staid and true.

The one character that I wish had been fleshed out more is Creed. I know he wasn’t integral to the majority of the story, but he was still a very important part of Heather’s life, as can be seen by the numerous times he popped up.

This had a very “If I Stay” feel to it at times, which isn’t a bad thing – IIS is one of my favorite YA books ever written in the last 37 years.

Keep some tissues handy the closer you get to the end of the book, you may need them.

Handy Dandy Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of Reflection from the author as part of the Read It & Reap program in exchange for my review. All thoughts are my own.

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Playing With Fire by Lauren Barnholdt
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lauren Barnholdt and Aaron Gorvine are the King and Queen of YA novellas. This is my third series by them and as usual I’m left frustrated and wanting more.

I absolutely do NOT like Emily so far. She’s a stuck-up, snotty little brat with an attitude that goes on for days. In my opinion she thinks she’s better than the other kids at the Cape, even though she’s the outsider. Yeah, Lucas can be a real jerk, but a lot of the time his anger is in thanks to some bitchy thing Emily has said. I even wonder about Julia, Lucas’s ex. She tried to befriend Emily, but ended up being tossed aside.

I do not like Emily’s parents. Too sneaky and they lie to her way too much. Especially her mom.

You really don’t learn what’s going on with Emily’s parents or what the big deal is about her in the first three books. As soon as I can afford the fourth one, I’m hoping that we learn a little bit more about her – and that she stops being such a bitch.

And even though this sounds really negative, I really did love it! Ms. Barnholdt really knows how to keep your attention and begging for more time after time.

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